This invention relates to vehicle panel door hinges, more particularly, hinges utilized on access panel doors for truck bodies.
In the past hinges designed for this purpose were generally more complicated in construction comprised of a door leaf with alternating hinge curls and a body leaf with alternating hinge curls. These leaves were meshed together and interconnected with a connecting pin extending vertically downward through the alternating hinge curls. Oftentimes this pin was loose within said curls or screwed into the bottom curl. Such construction, while necessarily complicated in its manufacture, also permitted a certain lack of security in that mere removal of the pin would defeat the hinge. Additionally, a variety of mounting methods offered exposed bolts and screws which attached this type of hinge to the door and could also easily be removed, thus defeating the hinge.
Another problem encountered in the prior art is that the hinge action frequently pinched, compressed, or otherwise deformed weather stripping material which was used to seal the door when the door was closed. This pinching minimized the effectiveness of the weather stripping.